Gareth A Davies has been a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph since 1993. He is Boxing and MMA Correspondent. Has been intrigued by fight and combat sports from a young age. Personal sporting passions are rugby, cricket, and martial arts. Also covers the Paralympic Games. Hates getting his hair cut. Follow on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT

UFC: Wilks lines up analysis of Brown for Manchester showdown

We’re three weeks into my blog with the Daily Telegraph and I’m delighted at how well it’s been received so far. I’m going to try and answer as many questions and comments as I can in time for my blog next week, so if you have any pressing questions be sure to jot them down beneath this blog. I’ll do my best to get a reply to all of them in between training sessions.

In the meantime, I think it’s as good a time as ever to talk about the guy I’ll be facing on November 14 at UFC 105. As most of you will know by now, my opponent that night will be Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown, who is 9-7 as a mixed martial artist and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He’s won two recent back-to-back UFC fights against Ryan Thomas and Pete Sell and looked great in doing so. In his most recent fight at UFC 96, Brown just basically ran through Sell in a little over 90 seconds. It was a tremendous display of striking and aggression.

Despite his obvious dangers, Brown’s a good match-up for me, I think. I don’t know all the details about him yet, but I’ve obviously seen him on The Ultimate Fighter and in a few UFC fights since. He’s a very solid opponent and he’ll undoubtedly give me a tough fight. He’s the kind of opponent that will be good for me and bring out the best in me. Whenever I know I‘ve got a difficult fight on my hands, it only makes me train harder.

He’s very well-rounded and aggressive. I’m expecting him to turn up in great shape and be a handful for however long the fight lasts. You never get a moment to rest or a lull with someone like Brown. He’s on you from the start and he won’t let up. Sell knows just how quick and explosive Brown can start a fight and I’m aware of this going into our bout on November 14. Brown doesn’t have one brilliant skill or one aspect that stands out, but he’s just incredibly well-rounded and solid.

Matt’s similar to me in many ways and we even have the same kind of body shape. We’re both comfortable standing and we’re both comfortable if the fight goes to the ground. Ultimately, I think my technique is a little bit cleaner than his overall. He’s got some good striking on his feet, but I feel mine is a little crisper and more technical. I think I’m also a little bit faster with my punches and movements and also possess a wider array of submissions on the ground.

I know Matt’s been submitted a few times in the past and, although I obviously won’t go looking for just a submission, it would be nice to finish the fight that way. It’s always extra special to finish an opponent by submission as it shows the technical aspect of fighting. I’ll take the stoppage however it may come, but submission is usually my preferred choice.

I’m expecting a war with Brown on November 14, but it’s hard to say whether he’ll be the toughest test of my career. He’s certainly the most high-profile opponent of my career and this fight at UFC 105 is unquestionably the biggest fight of my career to date.

It’s hard to know just how good Brown is from what we’ve seen of him in the UFC so far. He’s shown some very good skills but, like me, he’s unproven against the top competition. Records can often be misleading. Basically, the only way to find out how good Brown is will be to get in the Octagon with him and go at it. We’ll see how that goes…

To ask James ‘Lightning’ Wilks a question, leave your question and he’ll do his best to answer them next week

Tickets for UFC 105 in Manchester on November 14 are available at www.ticketmaster.co.uk